The 'sower of letters' in Nghia Duc

After crossing nearly 10 km of winding mountain roads, from the commune center, we arrived at the Nung Hamlet Cultural House, the place where classes are held for ethnic minority women. This is the most difficult area of ​​Nghia Duc Commune (Nghia Dan) with 76 households, 260 people, 100% ethnic minorities, the hamlet has many illiterate people, including many women.

Ms. Luc Thi Hoa teaches students.

Among the 35 students, there are 28 women and 7 men. Some have never been to school, and some have been to school, but because of life, they have forgotten all the words. When Ms. Hoa and the primary school teacher came to the hamlet to open a literacy class, everyone was excited and eager. Ms. Truong Thi Luyen, 45 years old, the oldest person in the class, shared: "Before, it was so hard, we had no food to eat and had to go into the forest to make a living, so a teacher from the commune and women from the commune came here to open a literacy class. We were very happy and everyone was excited and wanted to go to class to learn to read and write."

For more than 10 years working in the association, in her role as Chairwoman of the Commune Women's Union, Ms. Luc Thi Hoa has heard many confidences from women who want to learn to read and write, to spell, so that they no longer have to point their fingers when doing business in the commune. These very real confidences have urged Ms. Hoa to be determined to open a literacy class for women in this special hamlet.

Ms. Hoa confided: “Through understanding the reality of Nung hamlet, the rate of illiterate women is very high. Feeling sorry for the women who work all year round, but being illiterate myself and having very limited communication with society, I came up with the idea of ​​opening an illiteracy eradication class for the women this summer.”

The first day of opening the class also encountered many difficulties, because most of the women were old, busy with family work and farming every day, many of them did not speak Mandarin well so they were very shy when coming to this special class. By going to each member's house to mobilize and support books, notebooks and pens, Ms. Hoa gradually changed the women's perception. The literacy class organized by Ms. Hoa is increasingly crowded, not only women but also men.

Although she has no professional or pedagogical skills, with her love and responsibility, Ms. Hoa is always diligent and persistent in her classes. For those who do not speak Mandarin well, Ms. Hoa has to use gestures, movements and ethnic languages ​​to help them understand the lesson. From the inferiority complex and shyness in pronunciation and spelling of ê, a in the first class, after a month of hard work, now all the women can read and write their names and those of their family members.

Chi Luc Thi Hoa often cares for and encourages members.

In addition to teaching literacy, in her lessons, Ms. Hoa also incorporates propaganda content on preventing domestic violence, preventing trafficking of women and children; integrating activities of family planning clubs on not having a third child, mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, reproductive health care, raising healthy and obedient children...

Not only is she an exemplary Ethnic Minority Association official, enthusiastic in her work, always close to and caring for women in raising awareness, developing family economy, building happy families, Ms. Luc Thi Hoa is also a woman who always fulfills her responsibilities and duties as a dutiful daughter-in-law, a good wife, and an exemplary mother in the family. In 2009, she was awarded a Certificate of Merit by the Central Women's Union and the Chairman of the People's Committee of Nghe An province as an excellent grassroots official.

Ms. Ho Thi Thanh - Vice President of the Women's Union of Nghia Dan district affirmed: "Comrade Luc Thi Hoa - President of the Women's Union of Nghia Duc commune is one of the young union officials with a lot of experience. She has closely followed the tasks of the higher-level union and the political tasks of the locality to implement them very dynamically and creatively. In particular, the model of literacy classes for female members of Nung hamlet has been widely deployed by the District Women's Union throughout the district."

Ngoc Linh - Duc Anh (Dai Nghia Dan)